Daphne De Marneffe says mothers suffer from a "nostalgia for the present." This is apt, I think. So many moments of seering adorableness occur when you have children. And you can't help but be aware of how ephemeral these moments are. This baby or kid that you love so entirely completely utterly fiercely is going to be a little bit different tomorrow and in a month quite different and in a year entirely transformed. How can you not mourn the fleetingness of these moments even as they are occurring?

Betsy asks us to coin a word that would adequately describe the combination of heartache and pride mothers go through as they see their children grow. Any wordsmiths with an idea? Whatever it's called, I agree with the sentiment.

This, for instance, is Mikko adorably nonplussed by his first ever snowfall. Whereas this is his equally adorable, three-year-old reaction:

They grow up so fast … sigh and all that.

"Three and a Half Years Is Too Long" from Hearts and Hands: I was really moved by this mama's continued reactions to her daughter's NICU stay. It's amazing how powerful our birth and postpartum experiences can be. I've had similar feelings of having failed my son in some way for the negative things that happened in our birth, and yet I have no problem in reading other parents' stories like this one and seeing nothing that needs forgiveness. Birth can be such a confusing and overwhelming time. Here's hoping for more peaceful experiences in the future for Kayce and the rest of us.

"Danica McKellar Introduces Son Draco" from celebrity baby blog on People: I get a kick out of hearing about celebs who breastfeed (and advocate for natural birth!). I feel like they have a better chance of getting the word out to a wide audience, so it's really a treat to hear positive stories from someone like the smart and gorgeous Danica McKellar. I used to love The Wonder Years! Via @Blacktating on Twitter.

"Time-out Doesn’t Work" from Gems of Delight: Lisa sent me this link, and I appreciate it for its practical ideas of what a parent might do instead of time out. That is, instead of just turning parents loose and saying, "Don't do this, but I'm not going to tell you what to do instead." You know, like I do. Heh heh. There are some things on Lisa's list that I could see, in the wrong hands, becoming manipulative or blaming (like some of the positive reinforcement or giving choices). I don't say this against Lisa, because reading fully, she doesn't intend them that way — I only mention this, because I need to watch myself very carefully and examine my own motives when I really, really want Mikko to do something (e.g., put on his clothes to go somewhere, stop crying, stop pulling things off the shelf at the store, etc.), so I know whether my response in the moment was loving and connected or kind of jerky. That's why I have this sort of instinctive feeling that if I connected fully with Mikko in any of these moments of tension and conflict, the way forward would be clear, even without blog posts guiding me — but since I have problems with that, I'll take the tips from the blog posts!

"Big as Life" from The Sanctum Santoro: I found this post doing a Google Image search for what my organs look like right about now. Here's a pictorial hint:

Awesome, huh? I was wondering why the top of my belly area was already so rounded and firm when I know that, this early in the pregnancy (round about 15 weeks, so now even bigger than this), my uterus is not close to being big enough to be challenging my boob line. Now I know it's just all my organs, already smooshed upwards and outwards. I can now pat the top bulge lovingly and coo to Sam, "Wanna feel my liver, honey?" Anything to amuse myself while I really do feel like all my organs are way too perilously close to my outer edge and threatening to burst forth.

And speaking further of Natural Parents Network, I'd like once again to invite your original writing for the site. Some upcoming themes are attachment parenting with older children, holistic health practices, and political and social activism, but we can use articles on any topic related to natural parenting. Read our contributor guidelines here and send any articles or ideas and questions to Dionna {at} NaturalParentsNetwork {dot} com. We could also use more volunteers if you're interested in helping out this growing and vibrant parenting community.

"NaNoWriMo Word Count" from LaurenWayne.com: Is it OK to brag-slash-make fun of myself? At least it's over, hey?

I've got another travel-friendly giveaway prize up right now, as well as one for Natural Parents Network:

"Grow Smart Games My Pocket Games or I Spy Sensory Stick — winner's choice!" from Grow Smart Games on Etsy: This is also part of HAVE KIDS, WILL TRAVEL. You get your choice of a uniquely shaped I Spy tube with lots of little goodies hidden inside for little eyes to peek at, or a fun collection of old-fashioned games that pass the time, such as Hangman and The Alphabet Game, on decidedly newfangled laminated cards with an attached dry-erase marker. Contest is open to the U.S. and Canada and ends this Tuesday, December 7.

There's also a special Facebook giveaway over at Natural Parents Network: When NPN reaches 1,500 fans on Facebook, one lucky liker will get a $15 gift certificate to Yo Ho Graphix, an Etsy store with stunning decals, plus clothing and tote bags, many of which celebrate breastfeeding and family. So like NPN on Facebook today so you can be entered to win, and see the post for bonus entries to increase your chances.

I've also got a lot of holiday coupons and sales listed on Hobo Mama Reviews if you're interested, most from affiliate programs I've joined for companies I really enjoy. Here are a few cool ones to highlight:

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comments:

re: the liver thing - I'm SO with you. I look huge, and high up (if you know what I mean) already, at 17 weeks. This is also my 2nd pregnancy and my 1st baby was also a whopper, 10lbs 12,(LOVE newborn pics of Mikko, reminds me of my chubba bubba). Wonder if our uterus's (uteri?) are so stretched out from the first time that they just kind of expand in memory..hardly scientific but thats what I say to people who are inevitably saying "oh you're only 4months???".

You can see my 14week bump here:http://www.kiwimummyblogs.co.nz/pregnancy-diary/pregnancy-diary-week-14/ ...its much bigger already!!

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Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and Karsten (born October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.